Straightening machine table



May 17, 1960 o. J. sKAwDEN Erm.

sT/RAIGHTENING MACHINE TABLE Filed Oct. 30, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 17, 1960 o. Jv. sKAwcJEN` ITAL 2,936,811

STRAIGHTENING MACHINE TABLE' Filed Oct. 30, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TORS WAL 75A? F. AQSOIV 000 J. .SXWE/V THE/R mQ/VEYS 2,936,811 STRAIGHTENING MACHINE TABLE Odd J. Skawden, Bellefonte, and Walter F. Larson;

McKeesport, Pa., assignors to Sutton Engineering C.om-' pany, Bellefonte, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application October '30, 1956, Serial No. 619,300

" 6 claims. (cl. :iss-ss) This invention relates to straightening machine tables for supporting lengths of slender, 'round stock during their passage through a straightening machine, the machine being of the type having skew rolls for rapidly rotating the stock while it is being straightened. A

Due to the rapid rotation of the stock about its longitudinal axis in passing throughstraightening machines of this type, the free end of the stock tends 'to whip, and

. the vwhipping increases the greater the distance of' the ving ever longer pieces of round stock, such as rods, tubing,

and pipe.

Heretofore, in designing inlet and outlet tables for straightening machines, the emphasis has been on making'y a rugged structure equippedwithvvarious restraining devices that will withstand and'conne the whipping action of the free end of the stock. Not only is the expense of such tables proportional to their mass,gbut

ICC

, '"2 provided for adjustably positioning these members, so that their points of contact with the stock will dellect .Y the stock from the pass line of the straightener, preferably along a curve in which the curvature increases in proportion to the distance from the straightener. In the illustrated embodiment, the adjusting means includes articulated table sections on which the work supporting members are mounted, and means are provided for elev vating the ends of those sections, so thatthey are at thereby will, under the force of'gravity, be constrained also` even the strongest structures tend to be damaged 1 when the whipping is violent, and the stock itself may be damaged. As a result, straightening machines must often be run at a speed greatly below their capacity.

' It is a primary object of this invention to provide a straightening machine table that will reduce. the whipping tendency of the free end of the stock being straightcned, that will permit the table to be made of relatively light material compared with conventional tables, and that will operate with a 'minimum of restraining;I means mounted 'on the table for lconfining the free end of the stock. Y

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the table with all of the table sections disposed horizontally in the same plane; Fig. 2 is a side elevation, in which the table sections are disposed in accordance with this invention at different inclinations; Y Fig.I 3. `is a plan view of the table sections of Figs. 1 and 2;- Fig. 4 is a section along line IV-IV of Fig. l, showing themeans forI elevating the table sections; and lFig.' 5 is a section along line V-V of Fig. 1, showing the linkage means connecting adjacent table sections.

In accordance with this invention, the inlet or outlet table, as the case may be, includes a plurality ofspaced, work supporting members that contact and support the stock as it enters .or leaves the straightenerlMeans are Y both ends.

to lie in a curve. Because of that constraint, andthe rapid rotation `of the stock, the tendency of the freefend to whip will be greatly reduced or eliminated.

The rpresent invention is described hereinwith reference to an outlet table for receiving a straightened length of pipe, but it will be understood that the invention is equally applicable to an inlet table and to other round stock.

Referringto the drawings, a straightening machine 1 is shown .diagrammatically,with` onefend of a length of pipe Zvgripped between a pair of, skew rolls 3. The axisfof; thepipefat this point is horizontal and defines thelcenter of the pass line throughthe straightener. Due to the action ofthe skew rolls, the pipe is rapidly rotated about its longitudinal'axis.

Adjacent the exit side of the straightenerrfor supporting the pipe are a plurality of table sections 4, 5, and 6, `disposed end to end, each section being provided with conventional iixed guides'and work support members in the form of rollers 8.v Oneend of each table section is supported by a pair of elevating jacks 9, for raising and lowering that end of the table section. In addition, the outer end table section 6 is supported by jacks at of motive power. The table section 4, adjacent the straightener, `is hingedly mounted on its supporting jacks by. a' pin 11 extending through bearing members 12. The other table sections are supported on their jacks by means of a roller13` mounted on each jack and a bearing plate 14 secured yto the underside of the table section abovethe roller. -Pivoted means are provided for joining adjacent tables'ectionsto permit those sectionsV to be incl-ined relative to each other.; The pivoted means shown in therillust'rated.embodiment of the'invention includelinks 16 connected-by pins 17to mutually overlapping portions 18 of adjacent table sections. 'Ihese link connections and roller supports permit each table sectionto b e inclined at a desired angle to an adjacent section, and tomove longitudinally to accommodatethe desired inclination. f

In Fig. l, the table sections are shown disposed in the same-horizontal plane, so that work support rollers 8 are also in that plane. In this horizontal position, the table sections function like a unitary table of conventional type, which may be raised or lowered to support different diameters of pipe at the pass line of the straightener and which are useful for handling. relatively sho lengths of pipe having a low slenderness ratio.

Fig. 2 shows the table sections in their progressively elevated positions supporting a pipe 2, which vhas a high slendernessratio, with one end'of the pipe still heldin' the straightener. The piperis constrained by itsown weight to lie in a curve in a vertical plane. Preferably,v that curve has a curvature that increases in proportion to its distance from the straightener, but the increase need not be great; and, for some applications, the curvature can be substantially uniform and the radius of cur vature very large. The important consideration is that their@ endiof the pipe, er other fgund. Stock-heave Patented May i7, 1960( These jacks may be of the conventional screw type and can be operated by handor some form rolls 8.

ported at a higher elevation than the pass line of the straightener. Accordingly, for some applications, the table sections can be elevated so that' the support rolls 8 lie in an inclined plane (i.e., in a straight line), the pipe bending under its own weight between its free end and the straightener.l K

It should be noted that in Fig. 2 the Velevation of the various table sections has been somewhat exaggerated for emphasis. Ordinarily, for an voutlet table, as herein described, the table sections for handling an eighty foot length of pipe having a diameter of two and three-eighths inches `would have the outer end of the table section that is most remo-te from the straightener raised on the order'of ten or twelve inches above the end of the table section adjacent the straightener, Even with this small elevation, the whipping of the'free end `the pipe wiil be almost eliminated. So far as can be determined, the reduction in whipping is due to the fact that the pipe is restrained to lie with its longitudinal axis in a. ycurve and is continually flexed in conformity with that curve as the pipe is rapidly revolved by the skew rolls of the straightener. Instead of the end 19 of the pipe being free to whip about an extension of the pass line as its axis, that end is displaced upwardly and restrained by that displacement to revolve about itsA ownV curved longitudinal axis. rlhis forced displacement of the end of the pipe from the pass line ofthe straightener, the conning action of the guides on each side of the table sections, and the force of gravity on the pipe, maintain contact between the pipe and the work supporting members, so that the end of the pipe is in a sense no longer free'to whip as it is on conventional tables. ltY will be understood that means may be provided for adjusting the height above the table section of one or more' of the work support rolls 3, so that the curvature of the pipe resting thereon will be more uniform. in most cases, however7 good results will be obtained without providing any separate height adjustment for the In the event Yany whipping should occur, each table section is movably4 received between lateral buttresses 21, which are mounted on suitable foundations and extend above the table for labsorbing any lateral thrust caused by whipping. These buttresses are ordinarily more useful in connection with an' inlet table, where the initial crookedness of the pipe may cause some Whip.V

ping to occur. Furthermore, in an inlet table, it will usually be desirable to increase the curvaturerof the table sections as compared with their curvature when used on the outlet side of the straightener.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various types of guides and work supporting members may be used in place of `those shown in the drawings, including driven, work supporting rollers of the disappearing type that do not come into contact with the pipe except when the pipe is free of the straightener and is to be moved longitudinally on the tables. In such case, the pipe is supported during the straightening operation by stationary guides yof suitable type. It should also be understood that the length of each table section, the number of work supporting members thereon, and the angle to which each section is inclined with respect to the adjacent section, lcan be varied within wide limits without departing from this invention. In addition, the table sections herein described, particularly if they are used on the inletside of the straightener, can be provided with various restraining means well known in the art for confining the pipe on the tables. However, because of the tendency of the present structure to minimize whipping, the need for such restraining means will be less than heretofore.

According tothe provisions of the patent statutes, we have explained the principle of our invention and have illustrated and described what we now consider to represent its best embodiment.v However, we desire 'to have assenti about its longitudinal axis, the table comprising a plurality of table sections disposed end to end at one side of the machine, support means mounted on the table sections for supporting the stock thereon, restraining means for limiting horizontal movement of the'stock on the support members, pivoted means connecting the adjacent ends'of the table sections for permitting adjacent table sectionsto` be inclined relative to each other,

and elevating means for raising to an elevated position that end of each table section remote from the straightening machine relative to the other end of the same table section, whereby when the table sectionsI are in their elevated positions the stocks will be supported on the support members with its longitudinal axis inclined to thehorizontal. Y Y

2. A table adapted to support and prevent whipping of a` free end portion of round stock on one side of a Vstraighte'ning machine having a defined pass line while another portion of the stock is passing through the machine and being rotated thereby about its longitudinal axis, the table comprising two table sections disposed end to end at one side of the straightening machine, pivoted means connecting the adjacent ends of the two table sectionsrfo'rA permitting one table section to be in# clined relative to the other table section, support means mounted on the `table sections for supporting the stock thereon, restraining means for limiting movement of the stock across the support means, and means for inclining each table section at a predetermined angle to the pass line with the angle of inclination of the tablesection more remote from the straightening machine being greater thanthe angle of inclination ofthe other tablev section, whereby when the table sections are in their inclined positions the stock will be supported on the support means with its longitudinal axisV deiining a curved me. z

3. A table adapted to support and prevent whipping of a free end portion of round stock on one side of a straightening machine having a deiined pass line while another portion of the stock is passing through the machine and being rotated thereby about its longitudinal axis, theV table comprising two table sections adapted to be disposed end to end at one side of the straightener with the'seco'nd table section being the more remote from the straightener, linkage meansA lconnecting the end of one table section to the adjacent end of the other table section to permit relative angular and longitudinal movement between Vthe table sections, a supporting member mounted von each table section for supporting the stock thereon,

restraining means for limiting horizontal movement of the stock on the supporting member, elevating means for raising the connected adjacent ends of theV table sections to a predetermined height `above the other vend of the first table section and additional elevating means for raising the other end of the second tablesection to a predetermined height above fthe connected adjacent ends of the table sections, whereby when the table sections are in their elevated positions the stock will be supported on the supporting members above the `table sections with the longitudinal axis of the stock inclined to the pass line and lying in a vertical plane containing the pass line.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3, in which the elevating means are provided with a rotatable member on which the table sections rest and in which the linkage means includes a vertically disposed link having its ends pivotally connected to mutually overlapping portions of the adjacent ends of the table sections.

5. Apparatus according to claim 3, in

oud table section will be inclined at a steeper angle than the rst table section when both 'table sections are in their elevated positions.

`6. Apparatus according yto claim 3, in which the elevating means are provided with a rotatable member on which lthe' table sections rest, and in which the linkage means includes a vertically disposed linkhaving its ends pivotally connected to mutually overlapping portions of the adjacent ends of the table sections, and in which the second table section will be inclined at a steeper angle than the rst table section when both table sections are in their elevated positions.

References cited in the 51e of this parent UNITED STATES PATENTS Worth l Nov. 11, 1884 Patterson Dec. 12,` 1905 ColbyV May 16, 1944 Travis .;L Sept. 22, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Oct. 12, 1907 Germany Nov. 29, 1907 

